Famously well preserved, the pedestrian-friendly center of Savannah looks straight out of another era. Sober 18th-century homes, elaborate 19th-century mansions and grand public buildings stand on or near the city’s 22 squares. Live oaks draped with Spanish moss shade these graceful green spaces, usually punctuated by fountains or monuments at their centers.

But Savannah is not a time capsule. What makes the city so compelling nowadays is the energy and creativity of its many youthful residents — notably the thousands of students and graduates of SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design — which belie its Old South veneer. We discovered stylish cocktail bars, exciting restaurants and numerous independent galleries and boutiques standing side by side, and often within, the many old mansions.

In addition to reviewing the properties below, I had hoped to anonymously assess the Hotel Bardo, the refurbished and renamed Mansion on Forsyth Park, but its delayed opening prevented me from doing so. Fortunately, that gives me an excellent excuse to return to Savannah soon.